Education Secretary Miguel Cardona kicked off his “Back to School Bus Tour 2023” on Tuesday, a week-long road trip to highlight the ways communities, families, and schools are helping “raise the bar” in education.
“This year’s Back to School Bus Tour will demonstrate how states, districts, schools and higher education institutions, with strong support and investment from the Biden-Harris Administration, are already working boldly and creatively to Raise the Bar for education in our country – from fostering academic recovery to investing in mental health supports, strengthening and supporting the educator workforce to expanding out-of-school time programs, and building new career pathways to efforts to increase college access and affordability,” Cardona said when he announced the tour. “To serve our nation’s students well for years to come, we need to see pockets of excellence in some places become systems of success in all places. I’m looking forward to lifting up great models in education and highlighting how our country benefits when we work together to invest in our children and young people – the future of our nation.”
But the tour, which will stop in Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota, got off to a rocky start, thanks to a tweet the secretary sent out detailing his bus tour playlist.
“A little-known fact about me: I love hip-hop,” the now-deleted tweet said. “To celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, I’m sharing my #EdBusTour23 playlist.
“Here are some of the songs I’ll be listening to on the road. What’s your favorite?” he asked.
Below the text is a graphic showing “Secretary Cardona’s D.O.P.E Defense of Public Education Bus Tour Playlist,” featuring songs from Biggie Smalls, Tupac, Big Pun, Dr. Dre, Nas, Drake, and more.
The tweet didn’t last long, however, once education advocates began ripping the secretary for the explicit lyrics in the songs.
Are you serious @SecCardona?
— Moms for Liberty (@Moms4Liberty) September 5, 2023
"My my, I'm big huh, I rip my pr*** through your hooters
I'm sick, you couldn't measure my d*** with six rulers"
Only 1/3 of American public school students are reading on grade level and you are riding around the country promoting profanity
Resign https://t.co/dz2x8ji3u3
Listen to what you want at the gym, but when you are around children- maybe stop with the sex talk?
— Tiffany Justice (@4TiffanyJustice) September 5, 2023
Is that really too much to ask @SecCardona?
Some oversight please! @Jim_Jordan @virginiafoxx @RepMikeJohnson @SpeakerMcCarthy @ByronDonalds https://t.co/fLCy7BlMyF
American children:
— RachelReneeReeves (@RachelReneeRee1) September 5, 2023
“We can’t read!”
Secretary Cardona:
“Out o' town, put it down for the Father of Rap
And if yo' a** get cracked, b*****, shut your trap
Come back, get back, that's the part of success.” (- Dr. Dre) pic.twitter.com/fHkXJ9uv9L
The controversy over the secretary's tweet comes as math and reading scores for U.S. teens are at historic lows.